McLaren scores extraordinary 1-2 and follows Red Bull's footsteps

McLaren's victory at Monza was hugely special in more ways than one. Not only was it the first time since 2012 that they have won in F1, but it is also the first 1-2 finish this season. Mercedes and Red Bull Racing had not yet managed to have their drivers finish in first and second place, so McLaren is going down in the history books with that as well.

In 2019, Mercedes managed to win the first five races of the season with a 1-2 finish, and also in 2020, Mercedes quickly showed their dominance with a 1-2 finish, namely at the second Grand Prix of the season. So the fact that we're only seeing a 1-2 finish in the fourteenth race, courtesy of McLaren, is hugely unusual.

Red Bull last this late in the season

To look at when it's last happened this late, you have to go back to 2012. Back then, Red Bull didn't manage a 1-2 finish until the sixteenth race in South Korea. Sebastian Vettel finished ahead of Mark Webber in his bid to secure a third-world title after his second. Red Bull would also fail to secure a victory for the rest of the season.

In other championships, it has often been the case that a team has finished in first and second place within five races, which makes McLaren's performance perhaps even more special. Even in 2007, where a single point ultimately made the difference in the championship, there was a 1-2 after just three races. Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen then drove for Ferrari to the first two positions.

So now McLaren has the honour of getting the first 1-2 finish of the season. With Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen competing against each other, there is little chance that we will see many more 1-2 finishes this season, although a lot can still change in the last eight races of this season.